For the first time, YouTube Gaming is seriously challenging Twitch in gaming livestreaming—and it’s all thanks to Brazil.
According to Streams Charts, YouTube Live pulled in 14.48 billion hours watched in Q4, a 10% increase from the previous quarter. A big driver of this growth was YouTube Gaming, which surged to 2.27 billion hours watched, closing in on Twitch’s gaming category, which recorded 3.8 billion hours watched.
Meanwhile, Twitch’s gaming section declined by 33 million hours watched, signaling a shift in momentum. While Twitch still leads in gaming livestreaming, YouTube Gaming is rapidly catching up.
So, why is Brazil leading this charge? The country is a gaming and esports powerhouse, with an audience that’s highly engaged in mobile games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Free Fire, and Fortnite.
Top Brazilian streamers flocked to YouTube Gaming in 2024, finding larger audiences and better monetization. This migration played a huge role in YouTube Gaming nearly doubling its watch time over the past quarter.
While Twitch remains the second-largest platform overall, its gaming content is losing steam. Non-gaming categories like Just Chatting and IRL streams helped keep Twitch’s total viewership steady at 4.8 billion hours watched, but gaming-focused streamers are seeing stiffer competition than ever.
Twitch still holds the top spot in gaming livestreaming, but if YouTube Gaming’s Brazilian-fueled growth continues, the gap may close even further in 2025.
The streaming wars are heating up, with YouTube Gaming making aggressive moves in key markets. Meanwhile, Kick is expanding rapidly in LATAM and MENA, posing another challenge to Twitch’s dominance.
For now, Twitch still leads in gaming content, but YouTube Gaming’s explosive growth proves that the platform is no longer just an alternative—it’s a serious competitor.
